Fruit-drier.



W. H. H. SWETT.

FRUIT DRIER. APPLICATION FILED 0OT.31, 1911.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.-

2 SHEBTS-SHEBT 1.

awn 04444301 WILLIAM HENRY 'v HORTON SWETT.

W. H. H. SWETT.

FRUIT DRIER. 7 APPLICATION FILED OGT.31, 1911. 1,044,288, Patented Nov.12, 1912.

L0 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

avwewtoz WILLIAM HENRY HORTON SWETT.

UNITED STATES PATENT ors on.

WILLIAM HENRY HORTON SWE'IT, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO CALI-FORNIA LIKFRESH COMPANY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OFcnmromvrn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FRUIT-DRIER;

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY Hon- TON Swn'r'r, a citizen oftheUnited States, residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda andState of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Fruit-Briers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for preparing evaporated fruits andhas special reference to a novel form of drying oven adapted forutilization in the drying of fruit.

The principal object of the invention is to improve the construction ofthe oven so that a better and more uniform distribution of the currentsof hot air may be obtained.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ingeneral of certain novel details of construct-ion andcombinations ofparts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and specificallyclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drierconstructed in accordance with this invention, one half of the devicebeing shown in section better to show the interior thereof. Fig. 2 is apartial section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line3-3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view of certain valves used inconnection herewith.

The oven constructed in accordance with this invention is preferablysymmetrical, consisting of two wings 6r bays extending in oppositedirections. Each of these bays is supported on floor timbers 1O whereonrest the bottom 11 of the oven. Each bay is divided into a number ofcompartments 12 by means of vertical struts 13 carrying trayslides 14for the purpose of supporting trays 15 having perforated bottoms whereonthe fruit to be dried may be placed. A working floor is built as at 16,preferably above the bottom 11 and is thus constructed in order to giveaccess to a series of doors 17, there being one door for each of thecompartments. Each wing is providedwith vertically disposed side walls18 and an end wall 19. The wings are separated longitudinally into twocompartments by longitudinally extending partitions 20. Carrled on theside walls and partitions 20 are the wing tops 21 which slant from thecenter of the device upwardly and terminate in a flue 22 provided with asuitable gate 24 whereby the flow of heated air through the flue may beregulated.

Beneath the center of the device there is provided a suitable heatingfurnace of any preferred description which is here indicated at 25, andthis furnace is surrounded by a casing 26 having ventilating valves ordoors 27 adjacent its bottom to admit cold I air. Extending upward fromthe furnace 25 1s a smoke pipe 28 around which is concentricallydisposed a second pipe or drum 29.

. Between the drum 29 and the side walls each side of the partition sothat there are four valves in all. The sides 33 are provided withaseries of perforations wherethrough extend upwardly inclined pipes 36,each having a series of openings 37 in its upper side and closed upperends Adjacent the upper ends of these pipes are manifolds 38 connectedto the pipes in each compartment by nip les 39. These manifolds arealso'provide' with a series of openings 40 in their upper portions andhave closed. ends. At a point just above the floor 32 the drum 29 hasconnected thereto I pipes 41 which extend laterally outward and thenbend downward as at 42 to open beneath afalse floor 43 spaced somewhatabove the floorll. This false floor 43 terminates in a partition 44spaced closely adjacent the end wall 19 of the wing. On this partition44 is a bafile 45 and the upper end of the partition is bent inward asindicated at 46.

Extending upward from the false floor are a series of pipes 47. -Thesepipes terminate short of the top 21 and on each pipe as I there isprovided a bafle plate 49 spaced sli htly beneath the roof or top 21.These ba e plates are for the purpose of distributing the air as itrises between the pipes so that it flow through the through the openings37 and the openings pipes 41 and 42 and fruit be spilled from throughthe flue 22, the

and struts. Over the pipes 36 there is provided a series of screens sothat if any the trays it will not fall in between the pipes.

It will be noted that the baflle 45 is of such a width that air strikingagainst it will be deflected below the outermost screen 50 can pass upthrough the screen and flow through the fruit in the trays above.Furthermore the perforations in these screens 50 are so distributed thatthe rising heated air will flow evenly throughout the entire drier.

The drier is operated by filling the trays with fruit and placing themon the tray slides. The furnace is then started and the dampers openedwhen the heated air will pipes 36 and pass upward 40 in the manifolds 38being evenly distributed by the screens-50. Now if the damper 24 beopened the flow of heated air will be directly upward along the roof andout openings in the screens 50 having a united area equal to the area ofthat of the flue. If, however, the valves 35 be opened the draftproduced through the drum 29 will create suction be-' neath the falsefloor'43 and a portion of the heated air will be drawn downward behindthe partition 44 and pass out through the up the drum. By this means aconstant and steady flow of moisture laden air is obtained through theflues 22 and 29 and this is constantly replaced by dry heated airthrough the pipes 36. In consequence of this a uniform and extremelrapid drying takes place and the fruit iilfllS dried" is practicallyfree from moisture. There has thus been provided a simple and eflicientdevice of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is.:

1. In a fruit drier, a drying chamber having an upwardly inclined roofand a valve controlled flue at Its upper end, a false floor in saiddrying chamber, a partition extending upward from said false floor andspaced from the end of the drying chamber, heater pipes havingperforated upper sides extending into said chamber above sald falsefloor, and means for inducing a draft from beneath said falseflooiwhereby air from the heater pipes will be caused to pass betweenthe partition and end of the chamber.

2. In a fruit drier, a drying chamber having an upwardly inclined roofprovided with an opening at its upper end, a flue Wherewith said openingcommunicates, tray supports'in said chamber, and baflie plates extendingparallel to the roof and carried on certain of said tray supports.

3. In a fruit drier, a furnace, a casing surrounding said furnace in itslower end, drying chambers extending in opposite d1- rections from saidcasing, a false floor at the bottom of'said drying chamber forming a topfor the chamber Within the casing, a smoke pipe extending upward fromsaid furnace, a .drum surrounding said smolze pipe and resting on saidfalse floor, said false floor being provided with valve controlledopenings, partitions extending from the drum to the sides of thechambers to divide the chambers from one another, hot air pipesextending from the chamber within the casin into each of said dryingchambers andprovided with openings to ermlt the escape of hot air intosaid cham ers, a false floor in each of saidchambers terminating shortof the end remote from the drum, and partitions extending upward fromthe termination of said false floor, tray su ports within each of saidchambers, ba e plates carried by the upper ends of certain of saidsupports, and a valve controlled flue leading from each of saidchambers.

' In testimony whereof'I aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY HORTON SWETT.

Witnesses:

F. P. Somzonnnn,

W. A. Simon.

